Ghana is losing ground in the fight against illegal mining in its forest reserves, award-winning journalist Erastus Asare Donkor has warned.

He said significant progress made in clearing illegal miners from several forest reserves in 2025 is now being reversed.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Wednesday, Mr Asare Donkor said the situation was particularly worrying because some areas that were previously inaccessible to forest guards had been cleared.

“Well, I have said it, and I’ll say it again: that in the area of forest reserves, we made a significant improvement,” he said.

He recalled that at the beginning of 2025, several forest reserves had been classified as “red zones” by the Forestry Commission because armed illegal miners had taken control of the areas.

“When you compare that to when we started in 2025, there were a number of red zones. The Forestry Commission describes them as red zones because there were armed people who had staged roadblocks and taken over the forest reserves, and you cannot enter,” he said.

“Not even the forest guards could enter the rapid response teams, and I can mention a number of them: the Tano Amiya, Yoyo, Offin Shelter Belt, and some forest guards were killed. Some of them were maimed in those forests, and as we entered into 2026, we had zero of those red zones.”

According to him, the progress was largely linked to security interventions, particularly the IGP’s task force and NAIMOS's efforts under Colonel Boah.

“And so it tells you that yes, we made quite significant progress in that area. And I will also add that to mainly the IGP’s task force that was set up back then, and then some efforts of NAIMOS under Colonel Boah in those particular periods,” he said.

However, Mr Asare Donkor said the gains are now being eroded as illegal miners return to protected areas.

“But I’m sad to say that we are retrogressing. We are going back. We are rolling back that progress,” he warned.

He cited recent reports from Bekwai, where illegal miners had allegedly established camps inside forest reserves.

“Currently, as we speak, the Forestry Commission has indicated that illegal miners are coming back to the forest reserves. Just recently, if you saw the stories that I did from Bekwai, one of those forest reserves, we had illegal miners pitching camp in those forest reserves,” he said.

He also raised concerns over miners using metal detectors to enter protected areas.

“Now we have those that we call peeping, the dig and wash people who are holding metal detectors, entering into certain areas within the Tano Awia and Tano Nimri forest reserves,” he said.

Mr Asare Donkor warned that the situation could erase the progress made if decisive action is not taken.

“So we made the gains, but we are, you know, rolling it back gradually. And if we don’t take care, all the gains will be lost, especially at a point where some of the excavators that were seized were released back to the illegal miners, and so that is the gain that I would say we have chalked.”

His comments come amid renewed concerns over the impact of illegal mining on Ghana’s forests and water bodies, despite intensified government and security operations against galamsey.